I love the different games that dogs play. I was working with one of our shelter dogs last week and tried to teach him fetch. His version of the game was that I threw the tennis ball. He ran over to where the ball landed, stood over it and barked. Apparently he thinks the game is “help the stupid human find the ball.”

I’m pretty sure that “fetch” is just a dog’s way of saying “Human! You dropped this! I am bringing it back to you!” until they’re tired and then it’s like “This is the last time. Don’t drop it again or I am not going to go get it!”

I think you’re right. But it was so funny to see him running over and then just standing there and barking. At one point I heard laughter and saw that a group of kids on a field trip were watching the game.

I have a T-shirt with a picture of a whippet, wearing one of those red flower-pot hats that the Devo boys used to wear, with the slogan “Whippet Good”. Even though at the time I got it, my brother’s young whippet was anything *but* good. More of a “whippet of mass destruction” sort of puppy.